History
The National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) is a project
of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), which was founded in 1937
as the first racially integrated national bar association. For
decades, Guild members have been at the forefront of the fight
against police misconduct through litigation and community organizing.
NPAP is a natural outgrowth of these efforts.
The project was formed in 1999 by NLG members including Michael
Avery, G. Flint Taylor, Peter Berkowitz, Mary Howell, William Goodman
and Peter Erlinder. Originally NPAP was located in New York
City at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). CCR generously
donated office space to the Project for the first three years. In
2002 the Project relocated to Boston, Massachusetts.
NPAP provides support to attorneys and community groups working
on police misconduct. The project started as a national organization
and continues as a national organization today with some local
chapters forming throughout the country.
The project provides:
- Training and support for attorneys, legal workers and community
activists
- Public education and information around issues relating to
police misconduct
- Information resources for non-profit and community groups who
work with victims of police abuse
- A forum for legal professionals and community organizations
to come together and creatively work to end police misconduct
NPAP has held Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars in
Chicago, Austin, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York,
Washington, D.C., Boston, and Detroit. We continue to plan seminars
throughout the country. Please see our CLE section
for updates.
In addition to working with attorneys, NPAP reaches out to communities
affected by police misconduct. We have published informational
brochures for the Oakland community following the “Riders” case
and for Cincinnati Ohio following the death of Nathaniel Jones.
We are currently working on a best practices manual to assist
communities on understanding the complexities of how to make change
within their police departments.
The project is funded by the generous support of our members
and friends. For more information please visit how
to donate. |
